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Iraq expert's death: Inquiry opens
LONDON, England (CNN) -- An inquiry has opened into the circumstances surrounding the death of the UK government scientist David Kelly. Lord Hutton outlined the remit of his official judiciary inquiry being held at the Royal Courts of Justice, London. The leading UK judge is to hear from top politicians, including prime minister Tony Blair and defense secretary Geoff Hoon, as well as the BBC in his attempt to discover the events leading up to the scientist's death. A question he is to ask is who leaked Kelly's name as the "mole" in the argument between the BBC and the government over the September dossier and the intelligence case for war against Iraq. He stressed Friday the inquiry will be conducted by him "and not at all by conflicting parties." Cross-examination would be allowed but only if it is "helpful to the forwarding of the inquiry but no further," he added. The full inquiry will not begin until after next Wednesday's private funeral of the 59-year-old government scientist who was found dead in a field in Oxfordshire with a slit wrist on July 18. (Kelly funeral) Police said he had committed suicide. The hearing will be held in two stages. At some point he will interview Kelly's widow and one of his daughters, as well as friends and colleagues to get a clearer picture of the scientist's state of mind before his death. He did reveal the coroner had said four electro-cardiogram pads had been discovered on Kelly's body. Kelly had a significant degree of coronary artery disease and that this may have played some small part in the speed of death but not a major part in the cause of death, he added. Hutton said he proposed to ask first a witness from a government department "to give evidence of Dr Kelly`s expertise on chemical and biological warfare and of his employment in the government and of his knowledge of the September dossier (on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction) and of any part he played in the preparation of that dossier."
Former U.N. weapons inspector Kelly -- one of the world's foremost experts on bioterrorism -- found himself at the center of the biggest political crisis for Blair's government in its six-year rule after he gave an off-the-record briefing to the BBC in May. The BBC used Kelly as its main anonymous source for a report that the Blair government had "sexed-up" the case for war in Iraq by giving undue prominence to intelligence that Saddam Hussein could deploy weapons within 45 minutes of the order being given. Kelly went before a parliamentary inquiry after being outed as the possible BBC source. His name was confirmed by the UK defense ministry after a number of names were put to its press office by journalists from three newspapers, and later by the BBC following the scientist's death. The two men under pressure from the British press after Kelly's death have been Hoon -- whose department gave the name -- and Blair's communications director, Alastair Campbell. (Pressure on Hoon) CNN's European Political Editor Robin Oakley says: "Lawmakers say that if the Hutton inquiry finds the government guilty of sharp practice in helping the media identify Dr. Kelly, then the beleaguered Hoon may have to fall on his sword." Conservative opposition home affairs spokesman Oliver Letwin told CNN there should be a wider inquiry. "We believe what is now necessary to clear the air and restore confidence is a full inquiry into ... the whole range of issues that relate to the government's presentation to parliament, to us and to the nation, of the intelligence that lead up to the Iraq war." The Hutton hearings, although held in public, will not be televised. Broadcasters Sky News and ITN are contesting that ruling. He said he proposed to sit again on Monday, August 11. -- CNN's Jim Boulden and European Political Editor Robin Oakley contributed to this report
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